Two dead after fiery crash on I-5

Two people and two dogs died Saturday night when a pickup slammed into a pole and burst into flames on southbound Interstate 5 near San Onofre, 10:40 p.m. on the freeway near the San Onofre truck scales, according to the CHP. Photo by Anthony Carrasco
Anthony Carrasco

Two people and two dogs died Saturday night when a pickup slammed into a pole and burst into flames on southbound Interstate 5 near San Onofre, 10:40 p.m. on the freeway near the San Onofre truck scales, according to the CHP. Photo by Anthony Carrasco

SAN ONOFRE  Two people and two dogs died Saturday night when a pickup slammed into a pole and burst into flames on southbound Interstate 5 near San Onofre, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release.

Initial reports were that only the driver was killed in the crash, which happened about 10:40 p.m. on the freeway near the San Onofre truck scales.

A witness who was changing his tire nearby said he saw the silver Chevy Silverado suddenly veer to the right and hit a pole, according to the news release. Shortly after the collision, the truck exploded. The driver was conscious after the crash, but could not be extracted from the vehicle before it became engulfed in flames, the witness told authorities.

The bodies were badly charred and hadn't been identified Sunday afternoon.

Three right lanes of the freeway were closed after the crash.

The pole the truck collided with is a pre-pass scanner that allows commercial vehicles to bypass the scales, the news release said.